Aspects for the week beginning 25 May 2014

Pope Francis (Update)

I found it interesting that Pope Francis launched his latest middle eastern initiative at the constructive trine between Jupiter and Saturn.  It is as though he has been raiding the astrological archives in the Vatican to best use.

I last looked at his chart when he became Pope, and he certainly seems to be shaping up to being the most no-nonsense, hands-on and grounded Pope in living history.

Recap on his Chart

In a recap from my blog of 17/3/14 my first impression of his chart included:

“Sun in Sagittarius is traditionally the sign for conventional religion, and pontification.  His Sun is close to the galactic centre, so he may be aligned with spiritual realities, and it is conjunct the North Node (karmic mission) which confirms that his path is a true one (for him at least).  He is comfortable with religious power.  There is a down-to-earth quality about him, and if he is of a certain evolutionary level it may be significant in his life and works that Earth is the esoteric ruler of Sagittarius.”

Current Mission

The Pope is travelling to Jordan and Israel, and visiting even-handedly the occupied territories and the Jewish Holocaust memorial at Yad Vashem.  What I love though is that he is taking with him a Rabbi and an Imam (colleagues from Argentina) to foster religious relations.  Religious Unity is one of my pet hobby horses!

Friday’s Guardian stated that “The Vatican is publicly insisting that the main point of the trip is to mend fences between Catholic and Orthodox Christianity”.  Internal unity within Christianity is important, but I am hoping for some unity to happen between religions, too.

However, he may upset the applecart altogether as he is known for speaking his mind, and has arranged his itinerary to honour the Palestinian factions first, whereas the custom for Popes in the past has been to visit Israel first.  If he alienates some parties, an opportunity may be missed for being an agent of religious unity.  But his political concerns may take priority at some point.

Current Transits

The transits to Pope Francis’ chart are most interesting, in that they actually do provide support for his mission.  The balancing Jupiter-Saturn trine at the inception of his journey keys perfectly into his Neptune (spirituality) which sextiles both planets at their midpoint.  This is an ideal line up in which to attempt to balance different faiths and their interests.  In addition, the North Node (world karmic interest) sextiles his natal Sun, so this sort of work is part of what he is here in incarnation to do.  However, his Sagittarian fire may still cause problems as Jupiter will be squaring his Mars, so he may be at the centre of some volatility at some point, and safety is an issue (9000 police are on the case to protect him).

Conclusion

The Pope’s trip may not produce any significant shift in the intransigeant and long search for peace in the area, but bringing people of different faiths together  I feel is always worth doing and will shift the evolution in the right direction, making some people think more deeply and widely.

Aspects

You can bask in the constructive energies of Saturday’s Jupiter–Saturn trine (or Grand Trine with Chiron) for at least a couple more days.

On Tuesday (27^th), the South Node conjuncts Venus, so there may be a nostalgic flavour of revisiting old loves and lives.  For some however there may be a question of literally paying back money owed!

Wednesday (28^th) continues fine at first, with a sextile between Venus and Mercury, which you may remember popped up on Thursday 15^th and as it was not so long ago, you may remember what you did with it.  Maybe you wrote a masterpiece or composed a symphony, or said soothing words to the neighbours.  If it worked, then you may repeat the winning formula.  These two planets have been rubbing shoulders ever since 15th, so fine words may have been bubbling under the surface all this time.

A New Moon at 7 degrees Gemini will follow on that day, and enable you to anchor a new initiative which may be based on teaching, communication, or transport, or broadcasting.

However, just before midnight the Sun squares Neptune, which may or may not affect your earlier successes in the day.  Confusion may reign, and if earlier high-flown words were based on illusion, then actions based on them may collapse.  So make sure earlier communication is based on authenticity.

On Thursday (29^th) Venus enters Taurus, and it will at least be easier to create artistic and musical work which is heartfelt and beautiful.  Venus is not at ease in the previous sign of Aries, simply because it doesn’t like to be rushed.  Creativity can now take on its true rhythm.

Another planet changes sign later in the morning, when Mercury enters Cancer.  Though it is leaving its natural sign of Gemini where it speaks freely, Mercury in Cancer is able now to translate emotions into words, so you will get another side of the picture, and not just the mental insight.  You will get the colour of mood, for instance, if you are constructing characters in your latest novel.  This may be welcome if you have felt you were just describing cardboard cut-outs in the early chapters, and may inspire you to go back over your work and fill in the missing nuances,  fleshing out your characters.

The last aspect of the week, appearing on Saturday (31^st) is an all male character, Sun trine Mars.  No need for nuance there, or feminine wiles,  this aspect will tell it like it is.  As a trine, it is a positive aspect, but it will favour males and the male approach to life.  The “man of the house” will symbolically if not literally take over the remote control, and insist on the viewing of some sporting highlight.  It would probably be best if women had a ladies’ night out rather than resist or insist on equality.  It may not be possible to express the feminine energy within the context of this strong and uncompromising aspect.  So I recommend a lads’ night in with the lager, and a hen night out decked in handbags and glad rags.  That’s right, I recommend stereotyping on Saturday.

The week in bullet points:

• Tuesday – relationship karma
• Wednesday – favours writing, a new beginning, then confusion
• Thursday – good for art and music, and literary imagination
• Saturday – male bonding